STRINGSCALES

B locrian Scale — Guitar Fretboard Visualization

Low E string: E, F, G, A, B, C, D, E at frets 0, 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12

A string: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, A at frets 0, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12

D string: D, E, F, G, A, B, C, D at frets 0, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 10, 12

G string: G, A, B, C, D, E, F, G at frets 0, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10, 12

B string: B, C, D, E, F, G, A, B at frets 0, 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12

High E string: E, F, G, A, B, C, D, E at frets 0, 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12

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B locrian

The locrian mode flattens the 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th and 7th, leaving a diminished chord on the root: the only mode of the major scale with no stable home. That instability is the point. Use it over half-diminished (m7b5) chords in minor ii-V progressions, or in metal where its tritone-against-root tension is a feature rather than a problem.

it consists of these notes and degrees:

B

i°

Bdim
C

bII

Cmaj
D

biii

Dm
E

iv

Em
F

bV

Fmaj
G

bVI

Gmaj
A

bvii

Am

Characteristic notes: F (b5) and C (b2), the flat five and flat two that give locrian its unstable, diminished character.

Same notes, different mode

B locrian uses the same notes as the scales below. Start from a different note and you get a new mode built on the very same note set.

C major · relative majorD dorianE phrygianF lydianG mixolydianA minor · relative minor

locrian in all 12 keys, with chords and related scales

tip
  • Use B locrian over m7b5 chords: arpeggiate root, bIII (D), bV (F), bVII (A) first so the ear accepts the flat 5th as a chord tone.
  • The flat 2nd (C) against the root and the flat 5th (F) against open strings are the darkest intervals here; metal riffs live on exactly those.
  • Resolve somewhere: B locrian phrases work best leading into the chord a half step below B or into the relative major a half step above the root.
  • Compare with locrian #2 (D) over the same m7b5 chord; if the b2 (C) clashes with the bass, that natural 2nd is the fix.

How to play B locrian on guitar

Open B is the tonic and every other open string belongs as well, so the guitar is already tuned inside this key before you fret a note. Not one accidental appears in the signature. Bdim is the i° chord, sitting under an A-shape barre at fret 2, which means you can voice the tonic without leaving the nut. Lowest root lands at fret 7, and box one ends at fret 11.

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